Chapter 341
He gestured respectfully toward Kendrick. “Allow me to formally introduce Mr. Kendrick Owen — patriarch of the Owen family and the wealthiest man in Crolens. Miss Rylie Owen is his cherished granddaughter.”
“Crolens’ richest family?” Trevor’s knees gave out, and he dropped to the floor. The other applicants, now fully aware of Rylie’s identity, panicked. Their arrogance vanished, replaced by desperate remorse.
“Miss Owen, we sincerely apologize. We had no idea who you were — we were deceived, manipulated!”
“That’s right, we were misled! We meant no offense, please believe us!” One by one, they bowed deeply, voices trembling with fear and regret. “Please, don’t ruin our futures. We’re still young — this kind of stain on our records would destroy everything we’ve worked for.”
Rylie crossed her arms and surveyed the group with calm authority. “Some of you were clearly manipulated. So tell me, who started it?”
A tense silence followed. Then, almost in unison, every gaze shifted toward Trevor. From the beginning, they had taken cues from him, relying on his connection to the police chief.
Caught off guard, Trevor stammered, his eyes darting. “It wasn’t me! I heard some woman talking at a café. She stirred things up and shared it online. It all spiraled from there!”
Rylie’s expression sharpened, her voice cool. “Is that so? Then we’ll get to the bottom of it properly.”
“Does that mean I can leave now?” A flicker of hope crossed Trevor’s eyes.
Rylie answered evenly, “I’m not blaming you, but that’s only from me. It doesn’t erase the harm you caused to the veterans or the hospital you insulted.”
The accusations of slandering soldiers and tarnishing a hospital’s name had already ended Trevor’s career. Before Brad’s men could take him back to the military camp for questioning, he broke down, shouting at Yashiro, “Uncle! Uncle, I messed up! Please, save me! I can’t face a court-martial!”
Yashiro, already resigned to losing his rank because of his nephew’s actions, didn’t even look at him. He let the soldiers drag Trevor out of the station with the rest of the unruly job seekers and throw them into the military vehicle.
The media outside, witnessing the situation, all turned their gaze toward the reporters from Crolens Evening News.
The news outlet had reported that the military was there to investigate the hospital’s leadership and uncover embezzlement of government funds. Yet, the people being hauled away in military vehicles were the so-called “innocent job seekers” the same reporters had defended.
Despite the tension, the crew from Crolens Evening News kept their cameras aimed at the soldiers, desperate for exclusive footage.
Brock caught sight of them filming from close range. After checking their press badges, he motioned to his men. “Come with me. We’ll also bring those reckless reporters back for questioning.”
Drake Haywood, one of the reporters, kept his camera trained on Trevor and the others as they were led onto the vehicle. Speaking into the lens, he said, “Ladies and gentlemen, this is an exclusive from Crolens Evening News. The HaloFlow Hospital case has taken a shocking twist. Innocent job seekers are being detained by the military. Is this a plot between the hospital and the military to hide corruption, or are these job seekers lying? We’ll continue to—”
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